Quinton de Kock equals Virat Kohli, David Warner with 10th T20 ton

Basseterre: South African batter Quinton de Kock has drawn level with Indian batting icon Virat Kohli and Australian legend David Warner, becoming the fifth cricketer to enter the '10 T20 centuries' club and standing joint-third for the most hundreds in the shortest format.

De Kock accomplished the milestone playing for the Barbados Tridents against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL). He smashed 106 off 57 deliveries, hitting 11 boundaries and six sixes at a strike rate of 185.96.

With this century, de Kock joins Kohli and Warner at 10 T20 hundreds apiece. They trail only West Indies T20 giant Chris Gayle, who leads the charts with 22 centuries across 463 matches, and Pakistan batter Babar Azam, who has 13 hundreds from 359 appearances.

De Kock is also approaching 13,000 runs in T20 cricket and could soon become only the ninth player to reach the milestone. He currently sits on 12,867 runs across 457 matches and 433 innings, averaging 31.30 with a strike rate of 139.78. His tally includes 10 centuries and 84 half-centuries, featuring an unbeaten high score of 140.

He places ninth on the all-time T20 run-scoring list, which is headed by West Indies icon Kieron Pollard. Pollard holds the top spot with 14,933 runs in 751 matches, averaging 31.77 with a strike rate of 151.17, including two centuries and 71 half-centuries, with a top score of 104.

In the match itself, St Kitts and Nevis won the toss and elected to field. De Kock's 106, alongside Zachary Carter's 57 off 36 balls, including a four and seven sixes — and Sherfane Rutherford's 26 off 16 deliveries (three fours and a six), propelled Barbados to 217-4 in their 20 overs. Naseem Shah was the standout bowler for St Kitts, taking 2-43.

St Kitts and Nevis mounted a blistering response in their run-chase, anchored by an opening stand of 112 between Johnson Charles (78 off 45 balls, featuring six fours and seven sixes) and Kyle Mayers (29 off 27 balls, with three fours and a six).

Contributions from Dasun Shanaka (36 off 22 balls, hitting two fours and two sixes), Andre Fletcher (an unbeaten 22 off eight balls, including three sixes), and Wanindu Hasaranga (18 not out off four balls, with three boundaries and a six) guided St Kitts and Nevis to a six-wicket victory with five balls to spare. Charles was named Player of the Match.

ANI